*This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Success® Tri-Color 100% Quinoa. A box of Success® Tri-Color 100% Quinoa was received to facilitate this recipe.

Mexican made easy! These Quick & Easy Quinoa Tostadas are gluten-free, vegan, and top 8 allergy-free! A great family-friendly & meatless weeknight dinner recipe you can have on the table in 15 minutes from start to finish.

Mexican food is always a beloved family favorite even amongst picky eaters. We didn’t have that “picky eater” problem in our house growing up (I was that girl bringing in her cold Brussels sprouts for snack in 1st grade), but we enjoyed our fair share of weekly tacos and burritos. They were delicious and easy for my mom to whip up on a weeknight before shuttling me off to my hours of dance practice! I don’t eat actualMexican dishes as often as I used too (at least “real” Mexican dishes outside of my throwing salsa and chili spices on everything), but when I do, those comforting flavors and satisfying meals always warm my soul.

Funny thing is, I’ve been ticking off gluten-free, allergy-free, and vegan remakes of the “classic” Mexican dishes you might think of. Notably, some taquitos, tamales, and these tostadas. I’d never had tostadas before and never really understood what they “were”. Essentially, they are open-faced hard-shell tacos (aka…taco pizzas!) You know, just a super delicious pile of smiles on a crunchy corn shell!

Tostadas are so easy; no one could mess them up! You don’t even have to do any intricate folding like with burritos or worrying about over stuffing tacos. Some light, fluffy, protein-packed, Success® Tri-Color 100% Quinoa was perfect for a super easy boil-in-bag “meaty” base for these tostadas. Quinoa is one of the best meatless protein sources and when it’s gluten-free too, no-brainer! Mix in some diced tomatoes, peppers, seasonings and top with some zesty coconut yogurt for a perfect gluten-free meatless dinner with minimal mess and fuss! Essentially, this recipe is “Success is in the bag.®”!

The only messy part about this easy dinner would be the eating! But, my friends, that’s part of the charm that comes with tostadas, tacos, burritos, etc. Get your hands dirty! That must be why Mexican dishes seem to please any and every one! No utensils required (which you know gets the seal of approval by any kiddo!)

Mexican made easy! These Quick & Easy Quinoa Tostadas are gluten-free, vegan, and top 8 allergy-free! A great family-friendly & meatless weeknight dinner recipe you can have on the table in 15 minutes from start to finish.

Author: Rebecca Pytell

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Mexican

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Filling:

2 Bags of Success® Tri-Color 100% Quinoa

1 15oz Can Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes (no-salt added)

½ Cup Chopped Green Bell Pepper

½ Cup Chopped Red Bell Pepper

½ Cup Chopped Vidalia Onion

1 Tsp Minced Garlic

1 Tsp Chili Powder

½ Tsp Smoked Paprika

½ Tsp Chipotle Pepper Powder

To Top:

1 Cup Unsweetened Plain Coconut Yogurt

Juice of 1 Lime

Cilantro

6-8 Gluten-Free Corn Tostada Shells

Instructions

Cook the quinoa in a large pot according to package directions, drain, and add back to the pot.

Add the rest of the filling ingredients and mix well to combine with the quinoa.

In a small bowl, combine the coconut yogurt and lime juice, mix well.

To serve, scoop some of the quinoa mixture on a corn tostada shell and top with the lime yogurt and some chopped cilantro, if desired.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2

3.5.3208

These quinoa tostadas will be on the table in 15 minutes flat! Plus, all you have to clean up is one pot! Woohoo for quick and easy weeknight dinners that the entire family can eat (gluten-free, top-8 allergy-free, vegan) and will love! With back-to-school creeping up, even the hectic holidays, having these minimal work recipes up your sleeve will make you so happy!

Well. I would tell you the story behind this recipe, but I am not. Why? Because it is rather tragic and a bit embarrassing to say the least. Lets just say, I didn’t follow the rules again. But, whatever, I am moving on from that 😉 Instead, I will share a different story. One that may be a bit gross, but now is just funny (at least to me). It is even funnier because the gross part happened to me, but it always bothered my brother and mom so much more than me. I guess it’s because I was so young and really don’t remember it, only the retelling of the story every year we would walk past Snow White’s pizza place on the Wildwood Boardwalk.

Now apparently, this place is rated one of the number one spots on the boardwalk, however, we beg to differ. It was a day many years ago and we stopped in to grab some pizza for lunch. My mom, brother, and I all ordered a few slices and went and sat down at a table in the back. I assume we all started eating, and then I look down and find a white hair (white, get it? Snow White?) on my pizza. Fabulous right? When you are starving and now the food in front of you and everyone else turns into the grossest unappetizing thing. And then I am assuming we threw away out slices and left in search of some more suitable fuel.

Well, from that year on, any time we walked passed that place on the boardwalk, we would all relive and retell the story. Saying “Ew, gross!” under out breath as we walked by. It is funny how these little moments in time, are remembered and held as memories for so long. Yet I can’t remember how to factor a polynomial in math after only a few weeks of taking the test. I digress. But you know what place we found that did have the best pizza on the boardwalk? Sam’s Pizza Palace! My mom fell in love with that place. I am not sure I ever got a chance to eat there though because it came later in the years and I think I was already having my stomach problems then. I do remember they had the best fountain soda because they used this perfect crushed ice in the cup! Ah, ice, I love the stuff 😉 That is one of my favorite things about hotels and the like. Going to the ice machine and filling up cups of ice to munch on! Haha, can I get any more random today?

Now lets talk about this good (hair-less) pizza. Mushrooms were the name of the game but I wanted them to have more flavor then just roasting them on the pizza. Plus I needed to add some protein source to make this more substantial for my tastes. I had always liked a good pepperoni pizza as a kid, I was never a plain jane just cheese girl. In the later years of my pizza eating, I moved on to the gloriousness that is an onion pizza. Stringing white onions, perfect. There was even a time I forayed into the white broccoli pizza. But that was short lived. Too much cheese, I needed the red stuff. Then there was a time where I went for the ultimate gluten pizza a few times. Pasta pizza! Yea, they put penne pasta on a pizza. Another favorite was a Sicilian slice. I loved the thickness (and squareness)!

I never liked mushrooms early enough in my pre-celiac years to enjoy a mushroom pizza, but that is okay beucase I’ve got one now! This pizza combines a few of my favorites. Pepperoni-esque marinated roasted mushrooms and eggplant, olives (another winner), onions, white beans (which take on a faux white pizza look, but really is just a hummus type of spread), and of course, the glorious red stuff. I like using Tomato Paste on my pizzas though more than sauce. It has a more concentrated flavor and if perfect when making just your own personal pizza like this one here. Anyway, this pizza is my new favorite! I could eat this baby everyday. Gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, meat-free perfection on the famous Food For Life Brown Rice Tortilla!

Vegan Pepperoni White Bean Pizza

Ingredients: (serves 1)

White Bean Spread:

+ 1 Cup Cooked White Beans

+ 3 Fresh Basil Leaves (torn)

+ 1/4 Tsp Onion Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder

+ 1/4 Tsp White Pepper

Marinated Pepperoni Mushrooms and Eggplant:

+ 1 Very Large Portobello Mushroom Cap (5 Slices)

+ 5 Thin Eggplant Rounds

+ 1/2 Tsp Liquid Smoke

+ 1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika

For the Pizza:

+ 1 Recipe of White Bean Spread

+ Pepperoni Mushrooms and Egglpant

+ 1 Large Brown Rice Tortilla (or other, if you have a personal favorite)

+ 3 TB Salt-Free Tomato Paste

+ 2 TB Sliced Olives (rinsed well to get excess salt off)

+ 2 TB Chopped Sweet Onion

+ 1/4 Tsp Dried Oregano

Directions:

+ To make the white bean spread, got a food processor. Add in you beans, basil, and spices. Blend until you get a spreadable smooth mixture.

+ To make the pepperoni, in a medium bowl, add the mushrooms and eggplant. Pour in the liquid smoke and smoked paprika. Then use your hands to rub in the mixture so everything is coated. Let sit while you preheat the oven to 350°F. Now line a baking sheet with foil and lightly oil. Place the mushrooms and eggplant slices on the sheet and roast for 10 minutes. Flip and roast for another 10. Remove and set aside.

+ Now change the oven to 415°F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place down your tortilla (from frozen), spread on the tomato paste leaving some space around the edge of the tortilla. Then spread on all the bean mixture. Now place the mushrooms and eggplant around the pizza. Then sprinkle on the olives and onion. Finally, shake on the oregano. Now place in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes until the edges of the tortilla begin to brown. Remove and enjoy!

I love making my own pizzas. Now the blog is up to 4! This one, my Sprouted Lentil Butternut Squash one, Roasted Vegetable, and Chicken Meatball! One for every type of eater 🙂 No matter which way you spread it, top it, slice it, pizza is always a winner 😉 (As long as it does not include hair!). Happy Pizza Eating my friends!

Long name, super easy recipe. I think I found my new favorite dinner using my favorite legume. If you still have not tried sprouted lentils, that won’t last long after you see this recipe. I can’t believe I was always so intimidated by sprouting. I was missing out on such a great and delicious method or “cooking”. And to add to the deliciousness here I added all the wonderful flavors and scents of Fall it to a perfect personal pizza. I never eat pizza and really was never a big pizza person. I think I was just always turned off by it after the horrible experience I had in the beginning of finding out about my Celiac Disease. But now I know so much about cooking and food that I was able to create a perfect little gluten-free and vegan pizza for myself once again. I implemented my usual method of just gathering a bunch of ingredients and winging it, hoping that some beautiful master piece will emerge. And emerge it did! I know, enough of this rambling; let’s see the recipe!

+ Preheat the oven to 385°F. Line a baking sheet with foil and oil it or use non-stick spray. (Do not skip this otherwise the tortilla will stick…believe me.)

+ Take your tortilla and place it on the baking sheet. First spread the tomato paste, then butternut squash puree, sprouted lentils, and finally layer on the spinach, making sure to leave at least a 1/2in. free of ingredients around the edge of the tortilla.

+ Stick it in the oven for about 12-13 minutes, checking on it to make sure it does not burn. The edges should be starting to brown when it is done. Taking it out and enjoy!

Notes:

+ I bought a small frozen 10oz bag of cubed butternut squash. I simply put all the cubes in a pot with 1/4 cup of water and simmered until it was soft (about 6 minutes). Then I just mashed it up to a puree. Since this was more than one serving I doubled all the spices and doubled the balsamic vinegar. So if you go that route double those ingredients to get the correct flavoring.

This pizza was so good! I made it again the next day as well. I just loved the scent that emanated from the oven while it baked and the wonderful textures and Fall flavors that converged in my mouth. Even though it is kind of hard to eat like an actual pizza (I broke off pieces and ate with my hands, but also used a knife and fork to cut up smaller bites) it was still one pizza experience I enjoyed! (And will be making many many more times!)

Not only have I been craving Pumpkin, Apples, Cinnamon, and Roasted Everything, but I have also been craving/needing something that is warm, comforting, and that you can eat with a spoon in a bowl, for days on end. That’s when I realized I needed some chili in my life ASAP. After a long day of freezing in school (I am telling you the classrooms are like 40 degrees and then some kid comes strolling in, declares they are so hot, opens all the windows and turns the fans on. I can’t take it. I have to learn in the Arctic). So when I get home I want something that will warm me up for dinner, get the chill out of my bones. So I made a huge pot of Veggie Bean Chili to savor and enjoy over the week. And you know what? It did the trick. Comfort in a bowl. Slightly spicy, full of veggies and two types of beans. I added some crunch my eating mine with some left over corn tortillas form my Savory Pumpkin Lentil Tacos!

Making chili, soup, or a stew isn’t just about a great warming meal. I always feel a little nostalgic when I make a big pot of soup. It always bring me back to the first time I ever cooked anything, which happened to be soup. I was probably like 6 or 7, I don’t remember the exact age, but I was young. It was the weekend so my dad was home and we started looking through some old recipes we found in the kitchen for something to make for dinner. But then we decided to just wing it and go to the grocery to pick up ingredients for a soup. We ended up buying a huge mish-mosh of every veggie you could possibly think of for a wonderful vegetable soup. (I am so made that I never wrote the list of ingredients done…) Even though we just through everything together it came out lovely. Family + Love + Veggies + Hot Soup = Amazing. From that day and that soup forward I would always bug my dad to cook with me, until I began cooking completely on my own. That day I learned of my love of cooking and have never looked back since! With cooking, especially soups, you can never get it wrong. It is a time for creativity and invention and a way to bring out your true personality through the flavors you create.

– Prepare all your veggies (washed, chopped, etc.) then heat a large soup pot on the stove over high heat. Once the pot is hot add the veggies (carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms, and bell pepper) and dry saute for about 5 minutes stirring constantly.

– Add in your spices and the two cans of tomatoes.

– After that open you beans and give them a good rinse, then throw them in the pot as well. Take an empty tomato can and fill it with water and throw that in the pot as well.

– Bring to a boil and then cover the pot and reduce heat to low for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. During the last 10 minutes add in the kale.

– Remove from heat and let it cool for a bit. Unless you are impatient like me and would rather burn your mouth…Serve with warm bread, taco shells, or a crunchy tortilla or what ever else you would like! Enjoy!

Don’t forget to to day is WIAW! Link-up with Jen’s blog and check out what everyone have been eating, making, and enjoying the past week!

So tell me:

What is your earliest food memory? Who was the first one to introduce you to cooking?

I have been craving lentils for weeks now. Even though I have been eating them a new way every week, I still can not get enough! Not only that but my crazy mushroom love that popped up this summer is still going strong. Thus I knew exactly what I needed to buy when I stopped at the grocery this weekend. A new bag of lentils and big beautiful Portobello Mushroom caps! I have never made stuffed mushrooms before, stuffed peppers, but not mushrooms. I had no idea how long to bake them or how it would come out but I decided to just wing it. And like I have said before, those “wing-it” recipes are always the best. Well I was not let down with this recipe! I was so sad that I only bought two mushroom caps (one for me and one for my mom). I am pretty sure I should have bought 20 (19 for me and 1 for her). These mushrooms were so good I can not wait to make them again!

– 1/4 tsp of Onion Powder and Garlic Powder (you can use more depending on what type of hummus you use.)

– 1 tsp of Dried Oregano

– Dried Parsley (to top each ‘shroom)

Directions:

– Preheat the oven to 375°F. Rinse your lentils and bring a pot with 1 cup of water to a boil. Add the lentils, cook on high for 4 minutes, then reduce to slightly more than a simmer.

– In the meantime get your veggies ready and then add them to the lentils. The lentils should be done after about 20 minutes. Add the 2 TB of hummus and the rest of the spices to the lentils and smash and mash everything together.

– Keep the lid on the pot and get to work on de-gilling your mushrooms. I used my trusty Micky Moose metal ice cream scoop to scoop out the gills. Once done lightly rinse the caps with water and place them on a foiled and oiled baking sheet.

– Divide the lentil mixture between both caps and just scoop it right into the caps. Sprinkle some Parsley on the tops of each. Then place them in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and Serve. Prepare to have your taste buds take a mind blowing journey.

Next up I want to share a really quick and easy sweet and crunchy treat with you all. I love making this as a really quick “side dish” to accompany any main event. Behold the home-made cinnamon tortilla “chip”! Warm, crunchy, sweet, delicious, and 2 simple ingredients.

Home-made Baked Cinnamon Tortilla “Chip”

Ingredients: (Makes 1 large Tortilla Chip)

– 1 Frozen Food For Life Brown Rice Tortilla

– Cinnamon

Directions:

– Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

– Foil and Oil a baking sheet and place your frozen tortilla right down on it. Then go crazy and pour sprinkle cinnamon all over it. I usually rub it in then tap of the excess and repeat.

– Place the sheet in the oven and let the magic happen. It usually takes about 10ish minutes but be very careful and keep taking peaks every few minutes because it can burn really easy. That has happened to me…and it was so sad.

– Take the tortilla out once it is browned around the edges and crunchy! Then let it cool a few…I usually can’t wait and burn my hands, but then you can just break pieces off and enjoy the crunchy cinnamony deliciousness!

Remember to link up your favorites or recent eats with Jen’s WIAW! Thanks as always for hosting such a fun bloggie link-up Jen!

What have been your recent food cravings? Lentils, Mushroom, and PUMPKIN!

Sweet or salty, crunchy or soft? I hate salty things, that’s why i never cook with it. I like my sweet to be from fruit and spices not necessarily sugar. I definitely like crunchy things way more then soft!

Hey friends! I’m Rebecca a healthy gluten-free & allergy-friendly food blogger, Celiac advocate, yogi, and college student! I have a strong passion for finding the beauty and happiness in life no matter what hurdles it throws at you. To me happiness is sunshine, stepping onto my yellow yoga mat, waking up at 4 am, mugs of hot tea or black coffee, and of course cooking up delicious, nutritious food!